Chronicles of a Traitor
by Zane Qlster
Summary: Follows the life of a Rogue Space Pirate after leaving the Combine. First Fic. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue

**Chronicles of a Traitor**

By Zane Qlster

////Chapter 1- Prologue\\\\

My name is Tabrell Kibishi, and I am a Space Pirate. Before you pass judgment on me, know you this: I am no longer connected with the militant horde that fights Samus Aran known as the Combine. No. Instead, my allegiance belongs to a cadre of escapees called the Legion: former "units" that live and operate outside the system. We are hated by the Combine and feared by the Federation. Our mission, if it could be called as such, is similar to the Federation's, in that we both see the Combine as a threat, but we have no intention of becoming leaders.

I am a Space Pirate, and this is my story.

--N--

Many, many cycles ago, the Scripts tell us that the first Space Pirate was created as part of a genetic experiment by the Federation. However, things didn't go according to plan, as many things associated with the Combine are wont to do. The First, as it came to be called, went berserk, killing its creators and anything else that drew breath on Zebes. Finally its rage ended, and it was alone. Seizing the Federation's equipment, The First crafted the first Spawning Pod, the devices from which Space Pirates are grown. Cycles passed, and The First grew an army and declared itself leader. The early Combine launched its first successful attack during cycle 23986 against the neighboring planet of Thryaxxis. There, they stole the Mother Brain for use in their base as a supercomputer. One centicycle later, in 24986, The First died, leaving the Combine leaderless.

--A--

During this time, the Mother Brain came up with a scheme to create the ultimate leader. Taking samples from the most vicious species across the fledgling empire, the Mother Brain directed Space Pirate scientists in the creation of the being now known as Lord Ridley. To ensure his continued well-being, the scientists created a special Spawning Pod dedicated to Lord Ridley's genetic code that would activate upon the unlikely occasion of his death. To power this device, an energy transformer was created that would draw power from the black hole in the center of the galaxy. Unfortunately, the creation of all these devices exhausted the Combine's supply of Federation technology, and so they turned their attention outwards.

--R--

At least, this is what we are told. As a Pirate is grown, it has the basic knowledge of all it needs to know implanted into its brain along with unquestioning loyalty to the Combine and its objective of total conquest. In the Combine, any who would question their programming is silenced. However, one decacycle ago, a handful of Pirates began to reject their coding and were able to escape the Combine's grasp. The first of these had no names, instead removing their designations in order to remain anonymous. Now, however, we have adopted the practice of naming ourselves. For example, I used to be known by the designation AE-21586-λ. I was created on Aether during the mining expedition there, and, as all Pirates were at the time, I was given Phazon as part of my embryonic fluid mixture. However, for reasons unknown, my body filtered out the toxic element. I was deemed a failure, and was thrown into the ranks of the Militia. Luckily, I never actually had to fight Samus Aran, for I most definitely would have been killed. Because my body did not accept the Phazon, my ability to use Pirate-based weapons is impaired severely, but my mental capacity is considerably larger than those whose minds have been stunted by the toxin. In any case, after the destruction of the Ing, we were sent in individual crafts to our next assignment: a planet named Bryyo, apparently of some importance to the Federation. However, I was able to hijack my ship's nav system and break from its automated course. Alone and weaponless, I became a drifter, moving from planet to planet to escape both the Combine, to whom I was a traitor, and the Federation, to whom I was an enemy.

--P--

It was during one of these cross-planetary hops that I first encountered the Legion. I happened to cross paths with Nanyaki Boj'kar, one of the recruitment officers, at a bar on Kessel. I was informed of the Legion's existence and that it was comprised of others like me; Pirates who didn't accept their birth-coding for one reason or another. Intrigued, I followed the Pirate into hyperspace, despite the fact that it seemed too good to be true. Sure enough, as soon as we exited on the other side, I was tagged with a tracer by one of their scouts lying in wait. I was then given a choice: join the Legion and leave my ship and identity behind, or return to my life as a drifter, albeit with a beacon broadcasting my location twice a second. As I wished to remain alive for as long as possible, I accepted Nanyaki's offer. I was then led to one of the moons of Pokanto 4, where I was loaded into a teleport and beamed to the Legion's base of operations.

It was there I found my calling, and it was then that my story really began.

--A--


	2. Initialization

**Chronicles of a Traitor**

By Zane Qlster

////Chapter 2- The Legion\\\\

--S--

As the light from the teleport faded, I blinked to clear my vision. All around me was a clean, almost sterile-looking white surface that was so different from the blacks, browns, and greys I was used to that it was hard to believe I was in a Pirate facility. "Where are we?" I asked my captor/host.

"The center of one of the moons of Neklar. We are well-hidden here."

I nodded my head. Neklar itself was little more than a barren rock, and its thirty-some moons modeled their planet exactly, each one a copy of the rest. It would be the last place anyone would think to look, and even if they did, they would have a hard time discerning which moon was occupied, never mind getting down to its core. I returned my attention to the Pirate who brought me here. "What happens now?" I queried.

Nanyaki grinned, something Pirates usually do only before an execution. I had to remind myself, though, that this was not the Combine, so the usual rules no longer applied. My captor/host gestured to a passing Pirate, and took it aside. They talked for a bit, then came back. "This is Kandurr," announced Nanyaki. He will take you to the Processing Center for initialization."

I was taken aback for a moment by Nanyaki's use of the pronoun "he." Being created in spawning pods, Pirates did not usually assume a gender unless required to.

The Pirate bowed, an unusual gesture of courtesy reserved for the High Command. "Follow me," said the new Pirate, and began walking. Still slightly stunned, I had to run to catch up. Kandurr was surprisingly agile.

--S--

We walked in silence for quite a while; me taking in the new sights and Kandurr observing my reactions. At last I could bear the quiet no longer. "Who started all this?" I asked.

My escort chuckled, a low, dry sound. "That's a very good question. No one knows for sure, but we do know where she was headed."

"_S__he!?_" Never before in my life had I heard of a female Pirate. There had been the occasional rumor here and there, but I never believed in any of them, dismissing them as overly-aroused lust stories. "Explain yourself!"

"According to our records, the Legion was anonymous in the beginning. Records were kept, however, of all meetings."

"So how do you know who is who?"

Another chuckle. "Each member of the Council had a different style of speech. Matching the patterns to the words was an easy task. And besides, we use holotapes. We are more advanced than you apparently think, Outsider."

"My apologies. I didn't mean-"

"No matter. The archivists recently found older recordings, though. In those recordings, there is one speaker who was constantly referred to as 'Leader Prime.' We can only assume that it was this Leader Prime who started the Legion."

"So where did the P… _s__he_… go?"

"No one really knows. If you really want to do your own research, I suggest you go to the Archives later. Ask for Malloch. She'll help you out."

Another female. At this revelation, I was completely stunned. The mere existence of female Pirates was once a door completely locked to me. Now, however, after hearing two such names bandied about, I wasn't so sure... I realized Kandurr had spoken my name. "Sorry. Lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I said we have arrived."

--W--

What we had arrived at was a large triangular door. Upon closer inspection I could see that the door swung open like an iris, almost identical to the doors back on the Homeworld. However, I noticed a distinct lack of energy shield on it. When I pointed this out to Kandurr, the Pirate sighed.

"The Combine uses energy locks as a way of keeping secrets. In the Legion, we operate openly, with knowledge shared with all." So saying, my escort pressed a hand to an indent in the middle of the door, and it opened. The Pirate stepped aside and bowed once more. "After you."

Still slightly bewildered, I stepped across the threshold. No sooner had my feet touched the ground than the doors in front of and behind me locked and the floor warped and began to crawl up my legs. When the metal had reached my knees, however, it ceased its advance. "What the hell is this?" I demanded angrily, "Kandurr!"

A speaker I had not noticed before gave a small click, indicating its activation. "We apologize for the inconvenience, Outsider," sad a Pirate's voice. However, this voice was lighter and less harsh than those I had encountered before. Could this be a female? My thoughts were shaken as, without warning, I experienced a shock akin to that of a Paralyzer gun. "Once again, you have our apologies," continued the voice, "But we had no way of knowing whether or not you were bugged by either the Federation or the Combine. You must understand that the location of this base be kept secret."

I grunted an affirmative.

"Wonderful." The floor released my legs, and the doors unlocked themselves. "Please proceed into the next room so we may begin."

"Begin what?" I asked, voice slightly shaky.

"Initialization. Welcome to the Legion." With that, the speaker shut off.

I took a calming breath, opened the door, and stepped through.

--O--


End file.
